Navy leaders look to expand munitions options as supplies run low

During testimony before the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, Acting Chief of Naval Operations Adm. James Kilby acknowledged recent operations in the Red Sea “have highlighted the strain on our munitions industrial base.” Officials are working to close that gap, but current production lines may not be sufficient for that resupply.

…

But the munitions shortfalls drew extra attention, given recent military operations against Houthi forces in the Red Sea. U.S. forces carried out more than 1,100 strikes over roughly five weeks, using an estimated $1 billion in weapons. 

Last fall, before the recent operations, a report from the Heritage Foundation warned military efforts to resupply those types of munitions were already too slow. 

For example, the report noted that in fiscal 2023, industry suppliers produced fewer than 70 Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles. During a few months of skirmishes with Houthi forces in fall 2024, the service fired more than 125 of those missiles. 

“God forbid, if we were in a short-term conflict, it would be short-term because we don’t have enough munitions to sustain a long-term fight,” Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., chairman of the appropriations committee, warned during Wednesday’s hearing.

Previously:

The U.S. Navy’s Tomahawk Missile Shortage Won’t Be Easy to Fix